Abstract
Oxygen consumption rates and environmental variables were measured with field-deployed metabolism core chambers in various sites around the Chandeleur Islands in the Fall and Summer of 2015 and 2016. Each chamber consisted of a 15.24 cm diameter (20.32 cm length) acrylic tube, capped at the top with a custom-built fitting for water stirring and HOBO logger placement. For each chamber deployed, dissolved oxygen and water temperature data were collected from within the chamber. Light meters were deployed in parallel with the chambers to detect ambient light penetration into the water column. From these data, sediment oxygen consumption (mmol O2/m2/day) was calculated. These measurements can be correlated with average temperature, light, time of day, habitat type, site, and sampling season. These data can also be associated with infaunal abundances and characteristics in a related dataset (GRIIDC UDI: R4.x262.000:0010).
Purpose
Sediment oxygen demand is an aggregate measurement of numerous ecosystem functions, including photosynthesis by seagrasses and benthic microalgae, respiration by a diverse microbial community, respiration by meio- and macro-fauna, and enhanced microbial metabolism due to irrigation by macrofauna. We measured sediment oxygen demand at four sites in the Chandeleur Islands, northern Gulf of Mexico, with varied oil contamination from the DWH using light and dark custom-built metabolism chambers. Data were collected across a range of ambient oxygen concentrations resulting from a strong diurnal oxygen cycle in this shallow environment, and sampling was conducted twice annually over two years (June 2015 – Sept. 2016). Results are being analyzed for dependence on ambient oxygen concentration, sediment PAH at the 4 sites, seasonal and annual differences, and infaunal community biomass. This study aims to assess the impact of oil contamination on sediment ecosystem function in the context of natural daily, seasonal, and annual variability in a dynamic ecosystem.
DOI: doi:10.7266/N7X928QC
Suggested Citation
Kelly Dorgan. 2017. Sediment oxygen demand in shallow water habitats around the Chandeleur Islands in 2015 and 2016. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7X928QC
Funded by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)
Funding cycle: RFP-IV
Research group: Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience (ACER)
